Top 10 Hotspur Husbands Quotes
By someone who has not actually read the Hornblower books, but who’s just seen a lot of Hornblower/Bush quotes in their time, and know without a doubt that they are incredibly thirsty for each other.
“Aye, aye, sir,” said Bush, warned by the scowl on his captain’s forehead not to enlarge on the subject. But his affection for his captain compelled him to open a fresh one. “If that’s the case, sir, why not take a rest? You look mortally tired, sir, indeed you do. Let me send and have a berth screened off for you in the wardroom.”
Bush found his hand twitching - he had been about to commit the enormity of patting his captain’s shoulder, and restrained himself just in time.
Even though he was not in a smiling mood Hornblower could not help smiling at the misery of Bush’s expression.
“I’m glad to see you’re only human, Mr Bush, after all. Sometimes I’ve doubted it. There couldn’t be a more perfect First Lieutenant.”
Bush needed two or three seconds in which to digest this unexpected compliment. “That’s very good of you, sir. Very kind indeed. But it’s been all your doing.”
In a moment they would slide down the slippery slopes of sentiment, which would be unbearable.
Hornblower was tired now, as a result of his sleepless night the night before, and his emotions had been jarred into a muddle by what he had had to do; it was easier to sleep tonight, waking only at intervals to listen to Bush’s breathing, and to sleep again reassured by the steadiness and tranquillity of the sound.
“Good old Hornblower!” he said. “Good old Hornblower!”
To him it was really excellent news; he leaned over and patted Hornblower’s shoulder. He knew his face was one big smile, and he put his head on one side and his shoulder on the table so that Hornblower should get the full benefit of it.
There were two nights when it rained, and they all slept huddled together under the shelter of a blanket stretched between willow trees — there had been a ridiculous pleasure about waking up to find Bush snoring beside him with a protective arm across him.
“Thank you. Very kind of you,” said Bush. But it was utterly beyond possibility that he could give the least hint of the feeling that the gift evoked in him, that after lying lonely for these days in the hospital he should find that someone cared about him — that in any case someone should give him so much as a thought.
“I thought I should never be warm again,” said Bush, when his head came out through the collar of the nightshirt. “And you, sir? You shouldn’t have troubled about me. Won’t you change your clothes now, sir? I’m all right.”
“We’ll see you comfortable first,” said Hornblower. There was a fierce perverse pleasure in neglecting himself to attend to Bush.
[Hornblower] ran the tip of his tongue over his lips; Bush could see that the lips were cracked and parched and that the tongue could do nothing to relieve them.
“Bush! Bush!” That was Hornblower’s voice, pleading and tender. “Bush, please, speak to me.”
Two gentle hands were holding his face between them. Bush could just separate his eyelids sufficiently to see Hornblower bending over him, but to speak called for more strength than he possessed. He could only shake his head a little, smiling because of the sense of comfort and security conveyed by Hornblower’s hands.
[Hornblower] raised the bucket to his lips, leaning back to balance the weight; and he drank and drank, water slopping in quantities over his chest as he drank… The very sight of him was enough to make Bush, who had already had one drink from the well, feel consumed with thirst all over again.
